Nemo (singer)

Nemo Mettler (Swiss Standard German: [ˈneːmoˈmɛtlər]; born 3 August 1999), known mononymously as Nemo, is a Swiss musician and singer-rapper who plays the violin, piano and drums. They were the first openly non-binary act to represent Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest, and later won the 2024 contest with the song "The Code". They were the first openly non-binary musician to win the contest, and the third winner representing Switzerland (following the 1956 and 1988 competitions).

Career

Mettler began their interest in music at the age of three, learning to play the violin, piano and drum machine. They studied opera singing from age nine to thirteen. At the age of ten, they joined the Biel children's opera and performed in Mozart's The Magic Flute which was later used as inspiration for "The Code". At thirteen, they performed in the musical I've Never Been to New York. They also began rapping at this age, competing in Swiss contests and performing songs they independently wrote. They found early success in battle rap as a teenager and performed on season three of the Swiss television show Die grössten Schweizer Talente[de], receiving praise from the judges.

In 2015, Mettler released their first EP Clownfisch, under the name Nemo (CH), which peaked at number 95 in the Swiss charts. In 2016, when they were seventeen, Mettler's single "Cypher" went viral. In 2017, they released the EPs Momänt-Kids and Fundbüro under the name Nemo (CH). Fundbüro contained the single "Du", which reached number 4 in Switzerland. "Ke Bock" and "Himalaya" also charted. In the same year they studied solo singing in jazz and pop at Zurich University of the Arts, won the SRF 3 Best Talent prize, and later settled in Berlin to pursue their music career. In 2018, Mettler won four Swiss Music Prizes, including best song of the year for Du and best concert performance of the year.

After staying in Los Angeles in 2020, Mettler decided to switch from singing in Swiss German to English. On the second season of The Masked Singer Switzerland in 2021, they were unmasked as a panda and finished in fifth place. In 2022, they released their EP Whatever Feels Right, this time under the name Nemo. On 29 February 2024, they were announced as the Swiss representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "The Code", and performed in the second semi-final of the contest, on 9 May. They won the Eurovision final on 11 May with 591 points, becoming the first openly non-binary performer to win the contest; they also finished with the fourth highest amount of points in the final in the competition's history.

Personal life

Nemo Mettler was born in Biel/Bienne in the canton of Bern. Their father, Markus Mettler, is an entrepreneur and inventor, and mother, Nadja Schnetzler, a journalist. Nemo's sister, Ella, is a photographer. She collaborates with Nemo in the artistic direction of their projects. Nemo's first name means 'no one' in Latin. During a mission for the Swiss Red Cross in El Salvador in 2018, they said "my parents thought that if I was no-one, I could become anyone."

In 2022, Mettler came out as pansexual via an Instagram story, and as of 2024, they have been in a five-year relationship with their girlfriend, who was the first person they came out as non-binary to.

In November 2023, Mettler publicly came out as non-binary in an article in the SonntagsZeitung, after being closeted since around 2021. In the article, Mettler also stated that they prefer to be referred to by their given name, Nemo, instead of pronouns in German, and by they/them pronouns in English.

From 2021 to 2024, Mettler lived in Berlin, then moved to London. Since July 2025, Mettler has been living in Paris.

Activism

Following their Eurovision win, Mettler called on the Swiss government to legally recognise a third gender, after this proposal was rejected in 2022. When asked in an interview who they would call first after their win, they responded with Beat Jans, Switzerland's justice minister, stating that "we need to have the representation in our politics". A spokesperson for Jans later stated that the minister had responded and was willing to meet Nemo to discuss the rights of non-binary people in Switzerland. In response to the topic, Green Party member of the National Council Sibel Arslan wrote on social media that "a non-binary person who officially doesn't exist in Switzerland has won Eurovision 2024", and that the matter was "more relevant than ever", urging the Federal Council to act.

Due to the continuing Gaza war, Nemo called for Israel to be excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. In May 2025, Nemo stated that "Israel’s actions are fundamentally at odds with the values that Eurovision claims to uphold — peace, unity, and respect for human rights." In December 2025, Mettler announced they were returning their Eurovision trophy because of Israel's continued inclusion. They clarified the decision, stating "this is not about individuals or artists. The contest has been repeatedly used as a tool to soften the image of a state accused of severe wrongdoing, all while the EBU insists that Eurovision is 'non-political.'"

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other charted songs

Awards and achievements

Notes

External links

• Christof Gertsch: . in Tages-Anzeiger/Das Magazin, 9 May 2024 (English) (and in )